Australian Ashley Kent Johnston, who was killed fighting with the Kurds in Syria.

Britain's Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail newspapers have both confirmed he was killed in action on Monday.

His death comes less than a week after Mr Johnston, 28, of Canberra was killed in an ambush when the vehicle he was travelling in with six YPG comrades and an American volunteer broke down near a Syrian town called Tel Hamis and was surrounded.

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Mr Johnston and Mr Scurfield were pictured together with other YPG soldiers in photographs posted on the YPG recruitment page on Facebook "Lions of Rojava".

According to the Telegraph, the YPG has reportedly asked permission from Mr Scurfield's family to bury him "as a martyr" in Syria.

Australian authorities are still working to repatriate the body of Mr Johnston.

Mr Johnston's mother Amanda revealed in an interview with Fairfax Media that she did not know her son was fighting for the Kurds until she received news he had been killed on the frontline.

He had travelled from Australia to Europe in October last year, telling family and friends he had plans to explore Greenland.

But on December 30 he revealed in a text message to his mother that he was in the Middle East "supporting the Kurdish people".

Last Thursday, Ms Johnston received news of her son's death. She has since spoken to the American volunteer and received a letter from the six YPG soldiers who were with him during the lethal firefight.

"The vehicle broke down and they were surrounded by ISIS soldiers. They were closing in and I guess they didn't know what was going to happen. Ash jumped out of the vehicle, which gave the others in the truck a chance to take a different plan of attack, I don't really know," Ms Johnston said.

"I'm imagining that he tried to draw them away. He covered them. Ash was shot doing that. He was shot by ISIS."

Fairfax Media understands that the Australian Federal Police are concerned that the outpouring for the man they called "Heval Bagok Serhed" could inspire other Australians to take arms with the Kurds against IS.

A woman called Kader Kandandir, who runs the "Lions of Rojava" YPG recruitment page on Facebook has contacted the family to offer her sympathies.

It has been reported that Ms Kandandir was in contact with Northern Territory Labor president and Senate hopeful Matthew Gardiner before he left his wife and three children to join the Kurds. The former army medic is believed to be assisting frontline Kurdish soldiers.

The Australian Kurdish community will hold a memorial service for Mr Johnston in Sydney on Saturday.